The Truth Shall Set You Free
by Sfortuna
Summary: Tony finds out about Ned's secret. Confrontation ensues. Ned Dorneget/Tony DiNozzo: I christen this pairing DorNozzo.
1. Rough Hands

**The Truth Shall Set You Free**

**-Sfortuna**

**Spoilers:** Only if you don't know who Ned Dorneget is.

**Chapter 1: Rough Hands**

Ned Dorneget should have known better. Tim was a trained investigator, he caught criminals for a living and was on probably the best team NCIS had, definitely the best team in North America. With the little breadcrumbs he'd inadvertently dropped, it wasn't surprising that Tim had figured it out. Which would have been fine, if he wasn't close friends with people like Abby Sciuto and Tony DiNozzo. They were some of the nosiest people when something intrigued them. Tim must have said or done something to set one of their radar's off and put them on the trail.

How else would Ned have found himself pinned against a bar room wall by Tony DiNozzo?

**-NCIS-**

Growing up, Veronica Dorneget had always told her son to be true to himself. That had the by-product of getting a young Ned to speak his mind, rather often and most times unwanted. His father called his son "that goddamn motormouth" and could only bear to be with his own flesh and blood when they practiced baseball together. Of course, that also tended to involve the rest of the Dorneget clan; Ned was, at the age of 5, the youngest of four. By the time he was 16 his parents had nearly created enough kids to field a baseball diamond.

One could say that Veronica's advice to Ned was one of the best things she could have told him. In such a large farming family Ned could have gotten lost in the crowd and turned into a neurotic man overpaying a shrink who would only tell him he had an Oedipus Complex and his siblings were really just envious of his talents.

There were a lot of things that could have happened to young Ned. Some of them did, some of them didn't, and that special blend of experiences brought him to attending FLETC and becoming an NCIS Probationary Agent.

**-NCIS-**

"Uh, Tony? What are you doing?"

Ned's voice came out an octave higher than usual. Special Agent DiNozzo had experience, charm, and at least 15 pounds on him. Not to mention the potential of knowing something that Ned absolutely did not want him to know.

"I discovered something interesting Monday, _Dorney_. Want to know what it is?"

"Sure?"

Dressed in what was clearly an expensive suit, Tony adjusted his tie (not absent-mindedly, the Very Special Agent was a bit too clever for that) and widened the space between their bodies. That wasn't saying too much, since Ned now had about a foot of personal space instead of a mere three inches. He could still smell Tony's cologne, teasing his nose unfairly.

**-NCIS-**

"This is a bad idea."

Ten year old Ned got dragged along by his older siblings all the time. Especially since their mom had the new baby.

"Shut up, you have no say in this."

Kenneth, second oldest but first son, was sixteen. He and the next child, Spencer, were thick as thieves and loved to get into trouble just because they could. On the flip side, they were also amazing at baseball and had made the high school team. Kenneth was the second string pitcher, would be the starter as soon as the current one graduated, and Spencer had the makings of a great hitter and outfielder. Them being Ned's older brothers, however, usually meant they were stuck with him instead of their sisters. 'Girl stuff' was always Sandra (seventeen with a face full of acne) and Kaley's (twelve but shot up like a weed and taller than even the boys in the class above her) excuse. Mrs. Dorneget of course took up for them, claiming that girls needed room to grow without a male hormone cloud stifling them. Yet another of her pearls of wisdom.

"Kenny, Spence, we _really_ shouldn't be doing this." Ned started to whine. It got him nothing but a dirty look from Kenneth and a punch on the arm from Spencer. So he shut up and rubbed his arm, eyes darting around the parking lot for someone who would catch them and get him in trouble.

"Done! Okay, let's get outta here."

Kenny and Spence ran off with Ned trying to keep up. The next day their dad grumbled at "goddamn punks" who had delinquent parents. One of the math teachers at the local high school had the back half of their truck blown up by cherry bombs that had been stuck in the exhaust pipe. He was lucky that pressure hadn't built up and a spark didn't travel to the engine.

**-NCIS-**

Scratching at his chin, Ned thought he probably should have shaved this morning. But it was Saturday, he didn't have to be at the Navy Yard, so he'd slept in and not shaved. Like any other guy.

"See, Probie and I, that is, our McGeek, let slip something very interesting." Tony continued on, shark smile glinting in the dimness of the bar.

Ned shrugged, hunching his shoulders and bending his knees a little in an attempt to make himself smaller. It was a skill he'd learned in junior high and perfected in high school. His t-shirt shifted and gathered at his belt and he tugged self-consciously at the soft fabric. Saturday's meant t-shirts, worn jeans, and sneakers as well as the unshaven jaw. Cornered to a wall in casual wear, he looked like a scrub next to the precise lines of Tony's expensive suit and shoes. Even at work, when he did dress in not-exactly-cheap suits he still felt a piece of space trash next to the star that was Tony DiNozzo.

"Anything you want to tell me?" Tony asked, smile still in place.

**-NCIS-**

Carol McQueen was the first girl Ned kissed that wasn't a family member. It was in junior high, three months before he would move on up to high school. After baseball practice he went to his locker, remembering to pick up a book that he needed for homework that night. Carol had a thing for the baseball players and followed Ned into the school. There were no teachers to catch or harass them; Carol surprised him while he knelt to dig into his locker. At fifteen Ned was nearly six feet tall and still growing. Little Carol McQueen needed the advantage.

"You looked so hot out there Neddy." She cooed, putting a hand on his shoulder.

He blinked up at her, surprised that she was still around. "Thanks Carol?"

She smiled sweetly and leaned over, giving Ned a great view down her sundress to her still developing breasts, and planted one right on his lips. Rapidly blinking, he grabbed her shoulders to keep her from pushing him over and knelt there while she moved her lips wetly over his. If she'd kissed any other guy on the team they would have had her on the floor in five seconds, mauling her mouth. But Carol kissed Ned.

The now number five out of eight Dorneget children felt none of the feelings other guys on the team would have. Anxiety, fear, a little disgust, all of it adding up to a guy that wanted nothing more than to end this weird misery.

He pushed her back, their lips separating with a petite 'pop' that rang as loud as a bell to Ned.

"T-t-thanks Carol." He muttered, slamming his locker and booking it out of the school.

Ned walked home, wiping at his still-unpleasantly-tingling mouth and spitting a couple of times. Inside, the disgust grew and he knew, he finally knew for absolute certain, that he was even more different from his brothers. He didn't realize he'd forgotten his book for that homework until he lay on the bottom bunk that evening, listening to Garrett (five years old with a terrible lisp that he would need a tutor to get rid of) whimper in his sleep.

**-NCIS-**

Tony stared into Ned, making the younger man feel like the investigator could see into everything he'd ever said and be able to parse whether it was the truth or a lie.

"Maybe?"

Ned cleared his throat, shrugged his shoulders, and finally straightened. This Very Special Agent had a lot going for him but he was the least of many evils that Ned had lived through.

"Yeah, yeah I do."

Don't Ask, Don't Tell had been revoked; the pseudo-military-ness of NCIS wasn't working against his life anymore. Now it was just individuals and their preferences/prejudices.

"I like you... Tony." He stumbled over the first name, almost spitting out the older man's surname. Habit, more than anything. "I think you're attractive. And... and that's it. You're straight, I didn't want to make you uncomfortable."

He braced for the repercussions of his words and feelings.

**-NCIS-**

Ned sat at the kitchen table while his mom wiped the blood off his face with a washcloth in one hand and applied styptic with her other. He could already feel the swelling bubbling near his eye and nose while his lip simply bled out. He kind of really wanted to cry, but that would have only made everything so much worse. He glanced over at his brothers, sharing the kitchen sink as they wiped at their superficial scratches and couldn't bring himself to hate them.

"God _dammit!_ You hear me? _God fucking dammit I said!_" Their father swore and raged in the living room, kicking at the couch as he paced around it. Or at least that's what he probably was doing by the sounds of the thumping and the swearing.

"What is this family coming to." His mom complained under her breath. Ned winced as she wiped hard at a particularly stubborn spot of dried blood. "Brother against brother, what is this?"

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his brother's glancing back at him.

"I want you to listen!" Their father had probably done nothing quiet in his life. "We are a goddamn family and y'all are going to _act_ like one!" He stalked over to the three brothers at the sink, looming over them. Their father was a tall man, and always would be to his children, but Ned was so far the only one that was within inches of looking the man in the eye.

"Dad, you didn't _see-_"

_SMACK!_

Kenneth always did like to aggravate their father. You'd think he would have learned by finally making it to this age.

"I don't give a flying _fuck_ what you thought you saw or did see or_ fucking whatever!_" The red of his face made Ned think of the descriptions of Santa Claus. 'Cheeks all aglow' or something like that. "Ned can be as queer as he goddamn pleases but you will never, never do what you did today _ever again. Are we clear?_" He glared them down.

Garrett, only eight but clearly being heavily influenced by his older brothers. He mostly watched but couldn't resist getting a couple of kicks in. Spencer, twenty-two and already closing in on an unhealthy fondness for alcohol. Kenneth, twenty-three and the eldest son, playing baseball for the University of Nebraska and with a pregnant girlfriend.

"And _you_." Daddy Dorneget swung around and pointed a thick finger at his middle child. "As soon as you graduate, I want you out of the house."

Their mom bolted upright, an argument immediately springing to her lips, but she knew all too well what happened to those who argued with Ed not-Edward-or-Eddy Dorneget. He watched her clench her fists, the washcloth dripping cold bloody water onto the linoleum.

**-NCIS-**

Tony and Ned sized each other up. Ned was more worried about whether or not he should prepare for bodily harm or just the usual DiNozzo wise-cracks. Neither were particularly appealing but, wise-cracks would be a good sign at this point. He'd heard about the very few times Tony had gotten physical with people that were not criminals. He hoped to never bring out that kind of anger in the man.

"That wasn't too hard, was it?" Tony chuckled, and Ned knew he was going to get the embarrassment of the century for a long time to come.

"Hard has nothing to do with it." Realizing what he said, he blushed, the red painting his cheeks down to his neck. Tony chuckled again, and Ned felt a little bit of anger throw itself into the melting pot of his emotions. "I know about how you teased McGee about being gay, I didn't want to make a target out of myself. And if that's all, I'd really like to leave."

Ned darted around Tony, heading for the door, but Tony caught his arm and used his own momentum against him. Against that same section of wall, Ned found his body fully pinned by Tony.

"That really isn't all." Tony breathed into Ned's neck, the moist air raising goosebumps on Ned's arms and the back of his neck. Tony edged back a little, head canted up a bit to be able to look into his eyes. Ned couldn't suppress a shiver as the Special Agent ran his hands across the thin shirt over his chest and down his arms, caressing his wrist bones and then moving laterally to his hips. Ned's brain temporarily blanked, fully not expecting this kind of outcome. Could it be Tony's sense of humor going twisted?

"I'm not messing around. You're hearing from serious Tony right now." The Very Special Agent quirked his lips upwards, just a pale version of his usual smile. "I understand why you wouldn't tell me. I get it, no hard feelings. But I know now, and my question is this: are you willing to try the Real DiNozzo, or do you just want Fantasy Tony?"

**-NCIS-**

**Next Chapter:** Ned answers Tony, a trip is made, things are done that cannot be undone...

After seeing the last episode that Dorney was in, I couldn't help but write this. Especially after the season finale! How am I supposed to last until September?


	2. Soft Eyes

**The Truth Shall Set You Free**

**-Sfortuna**

**Spoilers:** Only if you don't know who Ned Dorneget is.

**Chapter 2: Soft Eyes**

Ned blinked. Hard. It was a conscious squeezing of his eyelids intended to bring everything that had happened to him in the last twenty minutes into focus.

_Are you willing to try the Real DiNozzo, or do you just want Fantasy Tony?_

What kind of question was that? A valid one, Ned supposed. Everyone wanted to be wanted for who they are, not who they made themselves appear to be or what a person idealized about them. And okay, so maybe he didn't know a whole lot about Tony, but what he saw at work he liked. For the most part. So he clowned around a lot at work, but he also got results, damn good ones. Ned had heard (and read) about the time Agent Gibbs "retired" and Tony had taken over. The solve rate hadn't suffered the changing of Lead Agents. That stood for something to Ned, no matter what other people said.

_The Real DiNozzo or Fantasy Tony?_

**-NCIS-**

Ned's first official boyfriend was a fellow student at NYU. They had circled around each other for seemingly forever; in the halls, the bathroom, on campus, during sporting events. It took two awkward conversations in the library, and a kiss in the park, for them to figure out that, yes, they were genuinely interested in each other. They didn't hold hands or make out in public, but their friends knew and the other students were aware that they were certainly closer than "just friends."

Ned had a steady on campus job, so long as his grades kept at a 2.0 average, so he could stay on campus during holidays and breaks. Daddy Dorneget had not been joking when he said he wanted his middle son out of the house. Alan, a theater major who had applied to Juilliard numerous times but never accepted, loved to sit in the cafe and watch Ned make sandwiches. There was something about having a known purpose that gave Ned a natural grace that no one else ever really saw in him.

Alan treated Ned fantastically. He could always be relied upon to lend an ear when Ned had to vent the frustrations of being a very poor college student or about a class that just wasn't going quite right. They made time out of their busy schedules to just be with each other, to eat or watch a movie or just hang out. Things went well, fantastically well.

Too well.

Ned caught Alan with another guy. More than once. The first couple of times Alan brushed off as misunderstandings, which they very well could have been. It was all explained away very easily and Ned wanted to believe his boyfriend, wanted to believe in him and the inherent goodness of people.

**-NCIS-**

"I know why you would be worried." Ned thoughtfully replied. "But I'm not looking for a fantasy." He met Tony's eyes and firmly stated, "I'm just looking for something honest and real."

"Dorneget," Tony let go of Ned's hips, letting his fingers run across the worn jean material, "I'm pretty certain that you mean that." He smiled a little and it seemed to Ned that the other agent appeared more relaxed, as if the whole time he had been prepared for a fight. "Now do you want to sit at a table and discuss this like gentlemen?"

"That would have been preferable in the first place." Ned muttered, but followed Tony to a table nearby.

There had not even been time for Ned to grab a beer and sit down before Tony had cornered him. He didn't even know how Tony had found him, unless the other man had been stalking him or something. Which could have been possible. Ned may have done well at FLETC and picked up on some things fairly quickly but that by no means meant he had anything on the experience of the older man. For all he knew Tony could have been following him after work every day for the past month.

Tony pulled out a chair for Ned and then sat opposite him. The younger agent shook his head, getting rid of the random and, for now, irrelevant thoughts that spun through his mind. First, he had to figure out what _this_ was. What it meant to Tony, what it meant to himself, what it meant to _them_.

As always, Tony's charm garnered a waitress rather quickly and they both ordered beers. Ned couldn't figure out where he should start, or even if he should be the one to start this conversation. Tony knew where he stood on this, right?

**-NCIS-**

Alan made the mistake that all cheaters made; he got cocky. He didn't think that Ned would start to get suspicious and ask about where people saw Alan and with who. He didn't think that Ned would worry about his place in Alan's life, and so ask Alan's friends about what they saw Alan doing when Ned wasn't around. Alan didn't bother hiding his actions or who he was with; he should have.

Ned caught Alan a month before finals week. There was no mistaking or talking Ned into believing it was all a misunderstanding. Alan had his hands down another mans pants in an alley next to a gay bar, hiding behind a smelly dumpster. It was quite clear to Ned what was going on.

"Ned darling, don't be like that." Alan stated, calmly drawing his hand out of the strangers jeans and wiping his hand on the material. "I just have needs is all this is, and I know you're very busy. I simply did not want to bother you."

In his heart, Ned felt the utter wrongness of the whole thing. Now, he could see what had been going on behind his back for so long, what he refused to see. Hindsight was such a bitch.

"Yeah. You have needs." Ned whispered, feeling tears gathering behind his eyes. "I'll just let you go fill those needs then, Alan." He turned from his now-ex-boyfriend and the young thing that had stared, wide-eyed and desirous, at the short non-conflict, turned away and walked all the way back to campus.

**-NCIS-**

"I didn't want to do that." Tony said, eyes serious but looking so much more relaxed. The waitress appeared out of the gloom and sat their orders on the table, serving up the beer to Tony with a coy smile. For once the man didn't return the flirtatious looks.

"It's okay, I understand." Ned shrugged, letting his fingers run through the condensation on the beer glass. "I've been gay all my life, I know how it complicates things." He glanced across the table at the slouch Tony had easily fallen into, then realized how what he said could be taken badly by the other man. "I mean, not that I think you're gay or anything. I'm just saying that stuff like that can be hard." To keep from saying anything else that could dig him further into a hole, Ned gulped at his beer.

Casually sipping at his own drink, Tony paused and frowned slightly. Ned's body language screamed how uncertain he was; stiff spine, hunched shoulders, lowered gaze. He tended to be a little hesitant at the Navy Yard, maybe even somewhat submissive at times, but never like this. He set his glass on the table and crossed his arms at the edge, leaning onto the smooth surface and focusing on the man sitting across from him.

"Listen. I've never cared that you were gay, I knew from day one and it didn't matter to me. When I found out that you were interested in me, _me_ of all people," Tony caught Ned's gaze, held it with his own, trying his best to make sure the sincerity of his words made it to his fellow agent without being heard by any other patrons. "I was dumbfounded. In the best kind of way possible."

Shocked, Ned's eyes widened and his hands, which had migrated to his lap while Tony spoke, gripped the material of his jeans and tugged nervously. Thirty years old and he still had terrible nerves when it came to this kind of thing. He managed to loosen his fingers and grab his own mostly full glass and take a bracing gulp. He'd heard some things like this before, back in college when people fell in and out of love like they changed clothes. Tony was a man though, childish and confused at times, but an adult with mature emotions. Surely Tony wouldn't be toying with him?

**-NCIS-**

Alan didn't ruin Ned for all other men. Nothing so dramatic as that happened when they broke up; Alan tried briefly to get Ned back but eventually got the hint. He left NYU a year later. Through sophomore and junior year Ned dated off and on just like every other red-blooded college male but stayed single his senior year to finish off strong. When he graduated cum laude no one came to see the ceremony; his mom called later that evening to congratulate him and that was that. Ned went out into the real world with a bachelors degree and a few boxes of his things to get him through.

He rented a shitty apartment with a couple of college friends and they all worked weird hours. Ned worked at a deli while he tried to find a "real job" and in general he liked it okay. The hours were steady, if not quite regular, and the pay was enough to live off of, if not thrive with. And it ended up having a huge impact on him.

One evening they were short-staffed, and Ned was stuck closing with a high-schooler that could barely find his ass with his own two hands. Between counting the money, writing down the numbers, and making sure that the newbie was cleaning up properly Ned didn't notice the thugs until they had broken in and were in his face with guns. Screaming at him to give them the money, to not make any sudden moves, to _give them the fucking money now!_

From one moment to the next, Ned has no idea what happened. At one point his mind is drawing an absolute blank as he stares at the robbers the next he's sitting in the back of an ambulance, blinking at a cop that's trying to question him. Trying very hard, only Ned can't quite recall what exactly happened, or why there's blood running down his face and how exactly he came to be here. He sees the high-schooler standing over by a police car, hugging himself and visibly shaken, eyes darting around like he's expecting another attack from anywhere. And for the life of him, Ned still can't remember how he got from there to here.

**-NCIS-**

He really wants to believe that there's something here, that this isn't some semi-cruel prank. Because really, Tony hasn't actually _said_ anything all that concrete, Ned's been making all the moves. "Tony..." he asks, trailing off uncertainly.

Then a phone rings loudly, and he watches Tony grimace and pull his cell out of his front pocket.

"Hey Boss," Ned immediately knows that this conversation won't be concluded until some indefinable time later. "Yes Boss, right away. I'll call the Probies." Tony hung up and sighed. "Duty calls. But we _will_ get back to this. It isn't over, Ned."

Despite the doubts that ping-ponged in the back of his head, Ned believed that Tony really would get back to him and talk about this. Whatever the heck _this_ was! So he nodded that he understood and watched as the other agent pulled out his wallet and dropped some money on the table to pay for his not-even-half-gone beer. He watched as something happened, like a change from weekend Tony to Agent DiNozzo as the other man tightened and straightened his tie, wiped at tiny flecks of lint, and smoothed his jacket down. He went from fashionably rumpled to GQ perfect in a matter of seconds and made Ned wonder _why, why?_

Tony skirted the table and leaned over. His mouth pressed right against Ned's ear, breath hot and moist, ruffling the curls nearby. He placed a hand on the table and another on Ned's shoulder, once again trapping him. Ned abstractly wondered if Tony had some dominance issues while the rest of him quietly exploded with the reality of the situation.

**-NCIS-**

The deli had security cameras. The quality was a terrible somewhat pixelated black and white, copied onto VHS tapes. Ned watched it in the police station, which is the only reason he knows what happened that evening. He has stitches in his forehead, cuts and bruises on his hands and arms, and his employer wants to give him a raise.

The cop is clearly not all that interested in what's going on. He puts the tape in, hits play, and moves his chair so he can work on something at his desk. Ned has to squint through the glare of the lights in the squad room and watches as the robbers break in, waving their guns at him and the other guy. The high-schooler drops the broom in his hands and drops to his knees, covering his head and curling up, obviously trying to protect himself and make it seem like he's not a threat. He watches himself stand still, clearly shocked, as the thugs spread out, knock over tables and chairs, waving their guns, and are probably screaming demands. Then one of them starts kicking the kid on the ground and that's obviously some kind of trigger. Ned jumps the counter and throws himself at the two robbers who stayed on him. One starts shooting, not realizing he isn't even pointing his gun at the person he's trying to rob, and the other starts hitting Ned with the butt of his pistol.

Sitting in the chair in the squad room, Ned watched with an open mouth and wide eyes. He's never had a violent bone in his body. His brother's, his father, even his sister's from time to time were the violent ones.

The Ned on screen clearly did not know how to fight; his punches were wild, uncontrolled, and probably only managed to hit their targets because the two thugs were in close range. The third one jumped up and down in place, waving his arms, clearly freaking out that this was not going to plan. After at least a minute of fighting he ran out, leaving his cohorts to fend for themselves. In the footage, Ned wailed on the robbers until the police ran in and broke it up.

"That's me?" he whispered to himself.

The officer got up from his desk and turned off the tape and the small TV.

**-NCIS-**

"We _will_ talk. I promise you that."

A shiver ran up and down Ned's spine. The visceral animal part of Ned that _wanted_ Tony like no other was getting a huge charge out of this, feeling his body heat and smelling his scent. That part of him was immediately turned on and attempting to wake up a certain part of his body that really wanted to get to know Tony in a Biblical manner.

And just like that Tony left; Ned watched him disappear out the door. He heaved a deep sigh to settle his body and mind, and then let his head thud to the table. It had been quite possibly one of the most emotionally crazy nights of his life in a long time, and it kind of felt really good. He could have something, something good. Tony could be willing to be something with him, _him,_ Ned!

Suddenly eager to leave, he picks up the money that Tony left and snags the waitress as she passes by. He pulls out his wallet and gives her enough to cover his own beer plus the money Tony left. The bar was a few blocks away from his apartment, so he walked home. The cool night helped him calm down so he could think about the situation rationally. As rationally as anyone can think when it came to Tony DiNozzo anyways, because surely the guy never inspired any kind of a logical thought in his life.

At the end of the hall he heard his landline ring. He jogged down the hall and rushed to open the door. Anyone calling his landline at this hour, well, that was just weird. Usually he only heard from solicitors or something on his landline, which it was clearly too late for.

He kicked the door closed behind him and leapt for the cordless.

"Hello?"

"Ned? Neddy?"

With a sharp inhale, he replied, "Mom?"

"Oh God, Ned, it's your brother. It's Kenny, Kenny's in the hospital." She sounded frantic, not the panicky kind of frantic but the 'I'm doing five things at once' frantic. "He's been hurt pretty bad, we don't know if he's gonna make it."

"What happened?" He asked, maneuvering around his couch to the desk in the living room. He opened his laptop and booted it up. "Momma, what happened?"

"I'm not really sure baby, we don't have all the details right now. Can you come here? Please?"

Kenny had never been all that good to Ned. There were times he had been downright horrible, but sometimes he could be fairly decent. Plus Kenny was family, and you never let family down. That was one thing that Ned had always believed, no matter what.

"Yeah Mom, I'll be there as soon as I can. I gotta take care of some things at work first though, but I'll let you know."

"Thank you sweetheart, I love you so much. And don't worry about your daddy, it'll all be fine."

"Love you too Momma." He hung up and heaved a deep sigh.

Of course something like this would happen right now. Of course. He pulled up his email program and sent two emails; one to Human Resources and the other to his immediate supervisor. Both were to let them know that he had to use his family emergency time, effective immediately. The agency preferred at least a twenty-four hour notice but since he did not even have to come in Sunday, he figured it would not reflect on him too badly. Next on his list, he made a flight reservation for his hometown, found a hotel and reserved a room, and closed his laptop.

_Why now?!_

Ned went to his room and packed a duffel for a few days, his mind doing a complete one hundred eighty degrees. Family was family, he had to be there for Kenny, especially if there was a possibility that he would die. Though his brother was the kind of guy that would ask to borrow money and then spit in your face after getting it from you. And then there was the situation with Tony; he didn't want to up and leave and have Tony change his mind while he was gone. What if the new case finished quickly, and he had time to think about all this?

That was a chance he was just gonna have to take. Ned zipped up his bag and stripped down to his briefs. He pulled his stuff out of his jeans before tossing the pile of clothes into his laundry basket. Flopping onto the bed, he thought about what had happened and what he would do the next couple of days. When he woke up the next morning, got ready for the flight and locked up his apartment, he still worried about what would happen while he was gone. He had received a reply from his supervisor and Human Resources about his leave, and everything was covered concerning his job. In the taxi on the way to the airport he called dispatch and asked for a favor from a friend he'd made from practically his first day at NCIS. In the airport after he checked his bag he texted the the cell number of Agent DiNozzo and then resolutely turned his phone off.

_Have to go out of state. Please don't change your mind while I'm gone._

He itched to check and see if Tony had replied to his message. Instead he found his seat on the plane and buckled in. As the stewardess started up her spiel, Ned relaxed in the seat and tried to give up all his worries. What would happen, happen. For now, he had to prepare himself for going back to Kansas and seeing his family; the father that kicked him out and the siblings that had not cared for his sexual preferences and let him drift out of their lives. He chuckled to himself when he realized that if Tony were there, he would have some witty line from "The Wizard of Oz" at hand; _lions and tigers and bears, oh my!_

**-NCIS-**

**Next chapter:** Arrival in Kansas, Tony's reply, and the joy's of family.

I know I'm a horrible person for having this take FOREVER, but in my defense I was in a foreign country with little to no internet service and little to no time to write. I hope you all will forgive me, and that you've enjoyed this chapter. As you're reading this note, I'm working on the next chapter.

To gabielel, I'm sorry I wasn't able to pull through like I wanted to, but here it is!


End file.
